TWO GIRLS AND A GUY

SYNOPSIS:Carla (Heather Graham) and Lou (Natasha Gregson Wagner) meet while waiting outside a NY
loft. They discover that they are both waiting for the same boyfriend, would-be actor,
Blake Allen (Robert Downey Jnr). Carla and Lou sneak into Blake's loft so that they can
confront him with his infidelity.

"The set-up is tantalising, the casting is immaculate and the performances
sparkling. But somehow, the script never rings true. It's easy to see why this talented
trio accepted the roles – there's a lot of scope and range in each of them. But the
script is so wordy that the words seem to stand in the way of real emotions and any true
emotional response. Possibly this piece would work better on stage, where the drama would
be maximised and perceived as a positive. Visually, there is much to appreciate in Two
Girls and a Guy; the stark, minimalist New York apartment setting is an effective backdrop
for an expose of emotions, and the use of tight close ups as Toback attempts to delve into
each character's emotions. The camera angles are intriguing and potent; tight single
profile head shots of Gregson and Graham are contrasted by multi images of Downey. This
clearly reflects the complexity of Downey's character - he is a great performer and has
plenty of opportunities here. Graham lights up the screen, while Gregson sparkles,
reminiscent of her famous mother, the beautiful Natalie Wood. Issues of monogamy, honesty,
relationships and mother fixations are canvassed, although not always to any satisfying conclusion. There are some alluring moments but for the most part, Two Girls and a Guy is
a hollow showcase for three talented actors."Louise Keller

"What could have been an enthralling film is little more than a pretentious and
uninspiring talkfest. As cinema, Two Girls and a Guy is none too interesting. It's a
theatrical piece of dull emptiness, which takes on appearances of great drama, but is both
self-indulgent and enormously shallow. The film takes great pains to explore some
interesting themes such as the nature of deception and its place in contemporary
relationships, but the film meanders along with an overabundance of profanity, never
achieving the level of intelligence it's striving for. The film's major asset, and
somewhat of a surprise, is Robert Downey Jnr, who gives a hypnotic performance, so much
so, that his less interesting female co-stars don't have much of a chance to compete. But
the movie feels more like a bad play, one that has its ideas on tap but no narrative to
hang them on."Paul Fischer

"This is a film which rings of truth....not romantic idealism but three people
confronting their true natures - that they lie and also desire, they love and deceive all
at the same time. The storyline says there is complexity in all relationships not just
simple equations of man and woman, yes or no. James Toback is a rogue independent
writer/director of great talent who doesn't make enough films but each time he does, he
seems to have stored up enough passion, dark humour and insight into the human condition
to make up for his absence. This film rehabilitates (deliberately) Toback's old friend
Robert Downey Jnr, and there are moments where Downey must be using his own personal
experience to illustrate how a character like Blake, an actor not doing very well, can
conjure his way out of yet another disastrous situation. Two Girls and a Guy is a
threesome in all senses of the word which confines its characters to one room and then
watches them strip. The psychological confrontations here are powerful, and the sweet
vengeance of the women is carefully manipulated by Toback to produce a surprising yet
honest conclusion."Hunter Cordaiy